Difficulty Level: ⭐/5
Approx Time: 10 mins
Supplies Needed:
We’ve successfully modded a foot pedal to the BeatBox and are here to tell you how we did it so you can give it a try yourself!
First, a little explaining because it is so much better when you have a full understanding of how it works.
A foot pedal’s circuit is the same as a button’s, like the ones on the face of the box. When you press down on a button you close its circuit. When you close it’s circuit, the circuit board detects electricity and registers that a button has been pushed. The button pressing is a momentary switch, which is one that is only engaged when pressed down. If you were to take the foot pedal apart you would find a momentary switch and a spring inside. When you press your foot down on the pedal, a button is pushed closing the circuit and sending a signal. When you pull your foot off the pedal, the spring inside springs the button back up and the circuit is re-opened.
Before we really get into it, we have to break down all the parts and pieces needed. We ordered a tattoo gun pedal off of Amazon. It came with a TS ¼” connector. A lot of music-related applications use this type of connector, like the electric guitar, for example. The TS is essentially a 2 pin connector. The tip of the connector is the signal and the barrel is the ground. The TS connector plugs into a female TS ¼” mono panel mount jack, which you will also need.
Now, that you have the parts, here is how to assemble it. You will need to drill a hole on the back of your BeatBox in-between the speakers. This is where you put the female TS ¼” mono panel mount jack. We used electrical tape to make sure the jack was extra secure. The BeatBox only has the exact number of input as faceplate, or buttons on the box. This means you will have to substitute a face button for the foot pedal. When you have chosen your button, soder it’s GST connector wire to the TS jack you’ve added to the back of the box. Once you’ve done that, you should be able to plug the TS connector into the jack and use the foot pedal.
If there is anything else you would like to see us mod for the BeatBox let us know!
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